白菜と肉団子の春雨スープ

Hakusai to niku-dango no harusame soup (meatball soup with Chinese cabbage and rice vermicelli):

This is a Chinese-style soup with niku-dango (meatballs made of pork, green onions, garlic, ginger, chili paste, egg and sesame oil); hakusai (Chinese cabbage or napa cabbage); harusame (rice vermicelli, or clear noodles); shungiku (chrysanthemum leaves); and shiitake. Really good stuff, and the only thing (other than nabe) that I know what to make with hakusai. Would love some ideas on things to do with this vegetable, as ubiquitous as it is this season.

Update: I found a very similar recipe here. The only big difference is the meatballs: I used pork instead of beef (either would be fine, a mixture of the two would be great), and I added minced green onion and a bit of chili paste. The "bean threads" refers to rice vermicelli, which (obviously) goes by several names and could be replaced by pretty much any clear, thin noodle.

Comments

[Caitlin]

How about thinly slicing the hakusai and adding it to yaki udon? I like eating it raw with kochujan as well. I also once had spaghetti in Japan which had steamed (?) hakusai and onsen tamago on it that was absolutely delicious.

[Andy]

Man! That's EXACTLY what I want for dinner! Send some to Miami, please????
Great stuff!

[Collie]

That soup looks incredibly yummy. I know what I'm having for dinner! ;)

[cb]

I slice it thin, add some vinegar and use it on tacos

[Kat]

looks very good. I usually make a salad with hakusai or kimchee.

[Amy]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions! Sounds like you can use hakusai in the same way as cabbage. Never thought of eating it raw, but I'll give it a try!

[Jo]

Every night when I come home, I look at your blog and I think, man, that's exactly what I want for dinner.
Gee. I sound like Andy.
But I think I deserve more pity, because I am more north than he is, and it is cold here tonight. Unlike Miami.

[Trig]

Oh yes - just my kind of food! I'd love that for lunch today.

[carlyn]

Amy;
Oh ,.,,and its sooooo cold in CT now....This soup looks wonderful!!!!! I pickle the cabbage in a Japanese pickle press with salt, garlic and chili flakes...sounds like kimchi, but doesn't taste at all like it... A few days in the fridge and its wonderful with a bit of shoyu and eaten with hot rice.

[Jo]

I know I am double posting, what a geek. But I really love this dish, and have not been able to forget about it.

[Amy]

Jo, the cold weather definitely earns you more pity! And I was so touched that you commented twice that I went on a recipe hunt and found a recipe for this dish. Or at least a very similar one. It's been added to the post, have a look.

Trig, I had leftovers of this soup for lunch the next day, and it was great! Even better than the first day.

Poor Carlyn! Sounds freezing, something I just can't imagine, given Tokyo's extremely mild winter so far. The pickles sound good- I bought a pickle press a few years ago but after a failed pickling attempt I gave up. I think I'll have to dust if off and try it again. Thanks for the tip!

[jo]

oh oh. Andy has beaten me to the bunch. It's the arm race to the finish. Apparently Andy is taking the offensive position and making this dish himself! Well, well. He waits and wants no pity, while I, a lady, was bagging for mercy and pity. Anydy has obviously shown himself to be a man who waits for no pity of a woman. Well, well, I am going to have to show the world what I am made up of: I TOO AM A CHINESE MEATBALL VERMICILLI SOUP MAKER!!!!!! JUST LIKE BLUE LOTUS AMY, and ANDY'S DINER OWNER ANDY!

By the way, these chinese meatballs are traditionally made with pork, and they are hugely popular wherever there are Chinese people. The meatballs have a very cute name as well: the Head of a Lion, or Lion's Heads. Because they are so huge, so round, so robust, they inspire an image of lion's head.

Joanna-the mandarin

[Amy]

Well Jo, looks like Andy didn't make it after all, so there's your chance! Didn't know these meatballs were called Lion's heads, that's really cute. I've actually never seen the dish outside of Japan, so until I found the recipe I linked to, I thought it was a made-in-Japan faux Chinese dish.